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Indium Resources
Indium is the 49th element, abbreviated as In. Discovered in 1863, indium rarely is found as an isolated element. Alloys of indium have low melting points and are good semiconductors; it's use in LCD displays has recently increased the demand for Indium. Where is Indium found? Indium is not found in pure indium deposits in the earth. The main occurrence of Indium is with other metals in ores of zinc, copper, lead and tin.Jorgenson, John D.; George, Micheal W. "Mineral Commodity Profile Indium". United States Geological Survey. Indium appears in small amounts in the sulfides of these metals. The most common source of indium is in the zinc sulfide ore called sphalerite."Mineral Commodities Summary 2007: Indium" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2013-4-17. Indium can also be found in volcanic sulfide deposits, and the highest concentrations can be found in vein deposits of tin and tungsten. However, it is not easy to recover the indium from these deposits economically. The main source for the indium we use in the world is as a byproduct from zinc and tin production. The main producer of Indium in the world is China, accounting for about one half of the world’s production.Tolcin, Amy C."2011 Minerals 2011: Indium" (pdf). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2013-4-17. As of a 2002 US report, the remaining indium was produced in France, Japan, Canada, Belgium, Russia, and Peru (in order of decreasing production). In the 1990s Indium’s price peaked and due to a fear about supply at the time, recycling of Indium peaked in the U.S. Since then recycling of Indium in the U.S. has declined, but recently (2011) Japan and South Korea have increased their recycling of Indium, so an additional source of Indium in the world is through recycling. How is Indium obtained? Almost all of Indium is produced as a byproduct of zinc production. A small amount is produced from tin production. Indium is produced from the slag of zinc production, using a leaching process. Leaching is an technique used to extract metals which converts them to an aqueous state. Indium is leached using HCl or H2SO4 . There are many different processes to extract Indium from the zinc slag, and they vary from processor to processor. One example is the jarosite process, which is shown in an infograph (see right). Indium’s path is highlighted. Indium recovered from this process is metal of a low-grade. It is further refined to be a high purity metal in refineries. Indium is produced in a lot of different forms, such as foil, ribbon, ingot, plates, powder, shot and pellets, and wire. Uses Indium is used in electronics as a dopant for semiconductors Germanium and Silicon, as well as doping indium arsenide with indium phosphide for use in heavy duty thermoelectric material. It is also used as a sealer for particle accelerators and in space equipment in the form of Indium-Mercury Oxide.Uses of Indium according to indium.atomistry.com. Indium metal is used in nuclear reactors in place of mercury because of its ability to capture neutrons.The Mineral Yearbook http://minerals.usgs.gov. Indium, when combined with tin and oxygen to create indium tin oxide can be used for conductive purposes in LCD displays. It is transparent, so it works well for touch screen technologies.Uses of Indium according to www.Indium.com. SustainabiliIty Indium production in the world, as of 2012, is at an all time high at about 670 metric tons produced annually. These reserves of indium are obtained from either refining processes of zinc or from recycling formerly used indium. US Geological Survey as of 2012. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/indium/mcs-2013-indiu.pdf Currently, the usage of indium in the United States is approximately equal to the amount that is imported. We are importing 110 metric tons annually and consuming approximately 90 metric tons of Indium. US Geological Survey as of 2012. http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/indium/mcs-2013-indiu.pdf As a result of the steady increase in the necessity for Indium, ie. increase in LED screen production, a steady increase in the concern over Indium depletion is also occuring. Sources have a wide range of expectations for the exact time in which Indium will be used up. Some sources pick the date as specifically as the years 2025 and 2028 respectively.Indium depletion date according to terresacree.org http://terresacree.org/indiumanglais.htmIndium depletion date according to ScientificAmerican http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-much-is-left As a result, the need for the recycling or the reduction of the use of indium has increased. References Global Impacts References Category: Resource Mapping